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Join me in welcoming back Erin Evans for her third go-around with the Book Club and our 16th discussion!  We'll be reading Brimstone Angels: Lesser Evils, the sequel to Brimstone Angels, which has the distinction of being our most discussed book to date.

Erin is a former editor for Wizards and also the author of The Godcatcher, which all adds up to a lot of insight into writing and The Realms. You can check her out on her blog as well: SlushLush.com  

And if you needed any more impetus to keep following Erin's cast of characters, Farideh (which rhymes with fajita) will be back again as part of the highly-anticipated Realms series "The Sundering," hitting shelves later this year. 

Lesser Evils is available in both print and e-book flavors, so you have no excuse for not picking this one up!

If you’re new to the Book Club, we’ll be reading around 50 pages a week and then commenting on them.  We’ll start the discussion next week on Monday, January 14th.  In the meantime, drop by this forum to let us know you’ll be participating and ask Erin lots of questions about devils.

There's definitely a lot to discuss with this book, and I look forward to the next few weeks.

This is going to be great! Welcome back Erin!

I guess my first question will be--"can you provide a the Top Ten Reasons I should read Lesser Evils instead of A Memory of Light this January"?

I am really looking foreword to this! Thanks, David S.

Hi guys! I'm so excited to be back again. This book and I went through a lot together--so much background to share. It's going to be a blast!


  

Jan 7, 2013 -- 6:57PM, davidgiven wrote:

This is going to be great! Welcome back Erin!

I guess my first question will be--"can you provide a the Top Ten Reasons I should read Lesser Evils instead of A Memory of Light this January"?

I am really looking foreword to this! Thanks, David S.

1. Brandon Sanderson is not here to answer your questions! I am!
2. Lesser Evils is a better deal! $7.99 for 400 packed (sorry) pages vs. $20 for 912 pages!
3. Lesser Evils has an ebook right now and it's still on sale for $2.99!
4. At THIS SECOND Lesser Evils has a higher rating and more reviews on Amazon 

Umm...
5. Havilar is more adorable than Perrin?


Okay, seriously, I haven't followed the Wheel of Time this far, and I forget all but a few keywords of the story. So I can shout those juxtaposed with things from Lesser Evils?  (Aes Sedai! Harpers! Dark One! Bryseis Kakistos!) and hope it blurs into sense...

Or I can say, I think this is a kickass book and this discussion is only going to make it better. 

Have to give it's little sister (or would that be big sister...) The Adversary some attention tonight, but tomorrow, I will give you some background on the story concepting!  

My first book club!

Although, certainly not my first WotC/Realms novel. Having read Brimstone Angels in a single day over the Christmas period, I ended up reading Rich's The Last Mythal trilogy just so I wouldn't plow on (and straight through) Lesser Evils.

I look forward to taking part in the discussions. I am sure I shall have many questions for you, Erin!

Hey everybody!! Glad to see everyone again, and a big "Well Met" to Iluvrien.

I am excited that we are kicking things off again and glad that we get to start off 2013 with Lesser Evils. Especially now that I know how to properly pronounce Farideh. Who says you can't learn anything from Facebook? 

Now I just need to finish up Charon's Claw by next Monday so I can give my full attention to Lesser Evils.

Well Met.

This is too my first book blub (Or book discussion) of any kind and I am excited to take part of it. I was so excited to get my wonderful copy that I blew through the first thirteen chapters this winter (Stopping at the beginning of chapter 14) so I am a bit ahead of everyone else, but I will not be dropping any spoilers (On purpose!) and I will not begin to read chapter 14 again until its the proper time. 

Saer Erin is a wonderful person who got me interested enough to actually read my first post spell-plague novel (The first Brimstone Angels) which trust me, was an amazing feat all in itself, and of course im looking foward to see what the Sundering brings for our beloved world and some of our most cherished fictional-friends.

Until swords part! 

Welcome to everyone joining us for the first time!  Erin won't disappoint! 

Erin is definitely one of the best at presenting the post-spellplague Realms.  I've said before that a novel like Brimstone Angels should have been the first to come out after the jump.

David, Havilar is definitely more adorable than Perrin, so she has you there.  I owe a lot to Jordan.  He's the one who originally got me back into fantasy my Freshman year of college.  I still have a treasured letter from him from around that time period.  I've saved the last WoT book he wrote (10 I believe) and all the Sanderson books so I can read them all at once.

And I just thought of a question for Erin:  What does the "M" stand for in Erin M. Evans?

Jan 8, 2013 -- 6:53AM, dadocollin wrote:

David, Havilar is definitely more adorable than Perrin, so she has you there.  I owe a lot to Jordan.  He's the one who originally got me back into fantasy my Freshman year of college.  I still have a treasured letter from him from around that time period.  I've saved the last WoT book he wrote (10 I believe) and all the Sanderson books so I can read them all at once.

That should be a nice run of books. I love when you get a series that you can sit down and go through one after another--I'm doing the same with The Psalms of Isaak, actually. After Canticle's cliffhanger, I figured I'd go crazy waiting. 

It's interesting--I remember having a phase like that where I was just done with fantasy. Oddly, I still wanted to write it, but I wasn't really enjoying anything I read. And I remember something changing, some book or books making me realize I was just missing a lot of really amazing stories that were a lot better than anything I was writing.

But I can't remember what it was. Unfortunately, I tend to cycle through paperbacks (I live with a serial declutterer), so in considering my library, nothing jumped out at me as the one. Tigana? Kushiel's Dart? The Doomsday Book? I think they all came after my epiphany. Maybe American Gods? 

Anybody else make it through this phase?   

And I just thought of a question for Erin:  What does the "M" stand for in Erin M. Evans?

MAYHEM.


...or Marie, the same middle name as both of my grandmothers.     

Jan 8, 2013 -- 10:33AM, ErinMEvans wrote:

MAYHEM.


...or Marie, the same middle name as both of my grandmothers.     

<.< Interesting. Interesting. *Runs off to edit Wiki*

Welcome to our newest members!  Erin’s novels spark some of our best discussions so it’s great to have new folks along.

Having recently won a copy of this book in an exciting contest, I have no excuse at all to not jump into the discussion!  I just got a kindle fire device but since I have the print copy I suppose I’ll just kick it old school.

Now if my (almost) two-year old will pose for a picture with Erin’s new book then we’ll really be set!

gold_piece, me too: Best I've managed is a kiddo-shaped blur climbing over the book on his way to get to my camera.

 Okay, as promised, here is the story of how Lesser Evils came to be:

This is not the sequel I intended to write.

While I was finishing Brimstone Angels, I had a lunch meeting with my editor, Nina to start talking about the sequels. I had a list of things that I wanted to happen and approximately which book I thought they would fall into (at this point I had two books contracted, with the potential for more). Nina looked at it, told me that this sounded cool…but they had another idea. They wanted a book that brought the Harpers back to prominence in the current timeline, and tied into things they were planning with Zhentarim. I could say no, and write the sequel I was pitching, but if I wrote this Harpers book, there was a good chance my book would get more attention. And let’s be honest,  what author doesn’t want that! She told me that my third book could be the sequel, no problem. So you might have been reading a totally new story, possibly using this thread to demand where the heck the next Brimstone Angels book was.

But it so happened that right before this meeting, I’d made Tam a Harper in Brimstone Angels to use the NWCG background (in the first draft, he had just been an unspecified spy). So while I was trying to think of a new idea, I kept coming back to Tam. And I realized I really wanted to figure out a way to make this work as a Harper themed book and as a sequel. I had a scene I was really stuck on, of Farideh in a library trying to find a way to pull Lorcan out of the Hells, so I started there, and eventually rebuilt my story to accommodate this new adventure.

I figured out I could push out that planned sequel and fill in the gap with this little side adventure. It would mean solving some of the plot threads differently than I’d planned, but I am nothing if not adaptable! It definitely made me work harder to fit the two ideas together, but I think in the end it pushed me to write something a lot more interesting.

Kind of sad. I just picked up both Brimstone Angels and BA: Lesser Evils, and I do not think that I will have enough time to read BA before I need to start BA:LE for this.

This will be my first book club... well first time not just lurking.

This is really more of a writerly question, but I noticed that you don't use italics for internal thoughts. Is that a stylistic choice, or is there a more technical reason behind it?

Jan 8, 2013 -- 4:13PM, hawkinsthedm wrote:

Kind of sad. I just picked up both Brimstone Angels and BA: Lesser Evils, and I do not think that I will have enough time to read BA before I need to start BA:LE for this.

So it obviously depends on what's going on in your life...but I have it on good authority that BA is a pretty quick read if you're not pacing yourself. A few days, a week tops. So if you want to sprint for it, you could catch up pretty quick.  But I always check back if there are late questions, so if you do read it later and want to ask something, that's okay.  

 

Jan 8, 2013 -- 7:04PM, trebor_rjf wrote:

This is really more of a writerly question, but I noticed that you don't use italics for internal thoughts. Is that a stylistic choice, or is there a more technical reason behind it?

That's WotC's house style. The technical reason is that italics are reserved for psionic speech. Because it's possible to have a scenario where you're intermixing direct thought and direct psionic speech, they have to be distinct, and they need to be clear and uncluttered.

For example, in the Eberron series Thorn of Breland*, the title character has a sentient dagger for a sidekick. The dagger communicates with her via psionic speech, but she cannot speak psionically and so has to speak aloud to him. That also means she has her own thoughts while they're talking, which he isn't privy to. It ends up looking like this.

Are you even listening to me? the sentient dagger said.
"Of course," the spy replied.
How could I possibly ignore your nagging? she thought to herself. 

If the style was to italicize thoughts, there would be points where it wasn't clear if the main character was thinking to herself or speaking to the dagger. It could create unnecessary confusion.
 
IT does mean you have to attribute the thought almost every time, so that it's distinct from the rest of the text, but the alternatives for psionic speech--<>, *Or this*, Or this--are really just distracting looking, IMO.   


*Which is by Keith Baker and is very good. STarts with The Queen of Stone. You should read it, only not now.   

Alright, I'm back on the sahuagin for this one!  Lesser Evils will actually be the first book I read on my new Kindle.  I'm sure I will have some devil-related questions as we go on.

Jan 8, 2013 -- 10:33AM, ErinMEvans wrote:

MAYHEM.

...somehow, I thought this might be coming when I saw the question.


Back onto the literary note, there is something I have asked of other authors that always intrigues me... so I am going to be cheeky and ask it of your too, Erin!

When creating characters, do they come to you fully formed or in a more fragmentary fashion? I mean do you sit down and suddenly someone like Tam arrives in your brain, or does the name/species/important scene containing this character arrive first and you build outward from that?

> They wanted a book that brought the Harpers back to prominence in the current timeline
AMEN! and I assume that "they" in this context referes to all of Candlekeep which is once again very active and all abuzz with talk of the Sundering! Care to drop any hints on how all of the above will tie into that? Thanks, David S.

Jan 9, 2013 -- 5:48AM, Iluvrien wrote:

 Back onto the literary note, there is something I have asked of other authors that always intrigues me... so I am going to be cheeky and ask it of your too, Erin!

When creating characters, do they come to you fully formed or in a more fragmentary fashion? I mean do you sit down and suddenly someone like Tam arrives in your brain, or does the name/species/important scene containing this character arrive first and you build outward from that?

Okay, this is going to sound potentially pretentious, so brace yourselves: There's a story that the Pope, after marveling at Michaelangelo's The David asked how he managed it. And that Michaelangelo replied, “It’s simple. I just remove everything that doesn’t look like David.” So that's probably completely apocryphal, but the idea that the creation is lurking in the medium is a powerful one, and I think it sort of speaks to my process. More often than not, I don't start with the whole character, but I usually end up with the sense that the character exists whole cloth, I just can't see parts of it yet.

Tam is an excellent example of this. He first appeared in the short story "The Resurrection Agent" for Realms of the Dead (Which is here if you haven't read it yet; this will make more sense). Originally, I started that story with the idea of a repeatedly resurrected warrior carrying his patron's dead body back to it's final resting place. I had this idea I could mix the loopholes of the resurrection spell with Sumerian myth. :p

 But I very quickly discovered there was a hole in that story--the POV character had no one to talk to but a dead body. So he (now she) needed someone to talk to. And I thought a cleric would be interesting, and probably come in handy. And Tam was one of those characters who showed up with his voice already clear in my head, his appearance already decided. He was super-easy to write...and then completely out of the blue he said "I have a daughter." 

WTF? I had no idea he had a daughter. I had no interest in giving him a daughter. But, hand to god, every time I deleted that line, I ended up writing it again. So I rolled with it: he has a daughter. And that was the key to shifting his and the Harlot's relationship.

When it came time for Brimstone Angels, I had this scene in my head where Farideh's hiding in a church and ends up talking to a nice priest about the state of her soul, etc. Originally I wanted that guy to be an old-school tiefling...somehow...but my editor at the time pointed out that would be confusing and pretty complicated to explain (why's he still alive, for starters?). I had no intention of ever going back to Tam...but I needed a priest. And now and again I'd get messages from fans asking what happened to him. So he got to be the priest--but from the second I added him, he kept leaking into other scenes. Why? Well he's probably still a spy. Why is he even talking to these people? Because he knows Brin kind of. Because he hires them. Why Neverwinter? Because he's a Harper now, and he's going to hint at things in the NWCG.

And as I mentioned above, he kind of barged his way into Lesser Evils. Or, I guess it's more accurate to by barging in he rescued Lesser Evils, as he is wont to do.   
  
  

Jan 9, 2013 -- 8:47AM, davidgiven wrote:

> They wanted a book that brought the Harpers back to prominence in the current timeline
AMEN! and I assume that "they" in this context referes to all of Candlekeep which is once again very active and all abuzz with talk of the Sundering! Care to drop any hints on how all of the above will tie into that? Thanks, David S.

Hehehe--"they" in this case are the Powers That Be at WotC. But I know they were thinking of fans like those at CK when they decided to do it. (There is nothing quite as nail-biting as being handed a beloved world element with legions of fans. I will probably talk about how I decided to handle the Harpers at some point).

I will say...that the end of the book points to the larger thread that The Adversary and it sequels will concern.  So you will have a leg up on the rest of the world once you're done!

Also, most of the characters in here return in The Adversary--so there are more Harpers if that floats your boat. As much as the addition of the Harpers/Zhentarim theme shaped Lesser Evils from one end, The Adversary ended up shaping it from the other.

Jan 9, 2013 -- 8:47AM, davidgiven wrote:

> AMEN! and I assume that "they" in this context referes to all of Candlekeep which is once again very active and all abuzz with talk of the Sundering! Care to drop any hints on how all of the above will tie into that? Thanks, David S.

You know the most humbling experience I've had as an author was going to Candlekeep to see what people were saying about the Sundering and reading two separate comments declaiming how absurd it was that Wizards had not included any women in their author lineup. Not because they thought I was a dude, but because my name and face had not registered to them at all. LOL. Makes it very clear what an honor and a boon to my books the inclusion is, and I'm really flattered that I get to do this. 

And any time I start feeling smug, I just remember those comments. :p   

Jan 7, 2013 -- 8:36PM, ErinMEvans wrote:

1. Brandon Sanderson is not here to answer your questions! I am!
2. Lesser Evils is a better deal! $7.99 for 400 packed (sorry) pages vs. $20 for 912 pages!
3. Lesser Evils has an ebook right now and it's still on sale for $2.99!
4. At THIS SECOND Lesser Evils has a higher rating and more reviews on Amazon 

Umm...
5. Havilar is more adorable than Perrin?

Sold. (Not that I wasn't going to get it anyhow...)

Looks like I can't wait for it on audiobook though. On the upside I have something to pick up for my new Kindle Fire.  

Thanks for answering my question so quickly, your response drew several things into sharper focus for me.

Jan 9, 2013 -- 10:33AM, ErinMEvans wrote:

And as I mentioned above, he kind of barged his way into Lesser Evils. Or, I guess it's more accurate to by barging in he rescued Lesser Evils, as he is wont to do.   

Tam was the character who immediately sprang to mind when I thought of asking you the question. He seemed to barge into my thoughts in much the same way as he appeared in Brimstone Angels.

I also wondered about Tam and Brin and their... well, human-ness... especially in the face of that fact that the primary protagonists Farideh, Havilar, Mehen, Lorcan and so on are most certainly not! Species/Race always interests me in books. Especially in Speculative or Fantasy fiction where there is the added possibility of seeing, to (mis)quote Terry Pratchett, "Black and white ganging up on green"! Finishing Rich Baker's first to Last Mythal books underscores this for me. How many of Araevin's or Ilsevele's actions are explained in the narrative by simple phrases such as "as sun elves..." or "...because they were ar Tel'Quessir".

Similarly, when you are writing for Farideh et al. how aware of you of their species? For example, is Farideh a Tiefling character (in that her actions are always informed by her inherent nature)? Or is she a character (that acts as she does) that just happens to be a Tiefling? The same goes for Havi, Mehen, Lorcan and so on...

... too many questions yet?

Jan 9, 2013 -- 10:41AM, ErinMEvans wrote:

You know the most humbling experience I've had as an author was going to Candlekeep to see what people were saying about the Sundering and reading two separate comments declaiming how absurd it was that Wizards had not included any women in their author lineup. Not because they thought I was a dude, but because my name and face had not registered to them at all. LOL. Makes it very clear what an honor and a boon to my books the inclusion is, and I'm really flattered that I get to do this. 

And any time I start feeling smug, I just remember those comments. :p   

When they announced the Sundering, before they said the author's names during the big reveal, a friend and I were immediately speculating who the authors would be.  Salvatore and Greenwood were obvious inclusions.  Kemp and Byers are proven best sellers.  (I've been waiting for years for Paul Kemp's next Realms novel. He completely missed 4th edition!) Especially with the inclusion of Troy Denning, it really appeared they were going known quantities + old school, which made sense because a lot of D&D Next is focused on bringing back the flock. I don't want to start a debate about who should/shouldn't have been included, so I'm not going to name names about who I thought would be the sixth author, but I too was surprised to see Erin Evans in the lineup.

I say that not to humble you in any way, but the opposite.  It's a huge compliment to you that they chose to let you come to the table with these heavy hitters.  Even if someone makes the argument: "They were going to pick a female author for at least one of the books to avoid gender complaints," there were other more well known females connected to the Realms for much longer.   You are probably the envy of a large number of newer and older Realms authors.  I mean, this series is almost guranteed to be a string of hardcover best sellers (if War of the Spider Queen is any indication).  My guess is that Wizards sat down and tried to think of who would write the best six books, and after the obvious inclusions that will sell on name recognition alone, your name rose to the top.  You should almost feel even better in a way because Mr. Salvatore & company (and don't get me wrong, I love Bob's books) were picked in some part because their names alone sell copies.  There are people I know who read Salvatore, for example, and don't read anything else from Wizards or even care about D&D.  They picked you based on the quality of your writing.  You're the rising star!  (No pressure...)

Jan 9, 2013 -- 1:44PM, dadocollin wrote:

There are people I know who read Salvatore, for example, and don't read anything else from Wizards or even care about D&D.  They picked you based on the quality of your writing.  You're the rising star!  (No pressure...)

I had come to a similar conclusion and so I was thinking about what it might be in Erin's writing that stands out, for me at least.

To be honest I think it is the freshness of the characterization. So far only three authors have managed to haul me across the time-jump into the stark realities of the 4E Realms: Ed Greenwood (well...duh), Erin and Erik Scott de Bie (Depths of Madness and Downshadow were both superb).

I read Ed's work because while it is replete with the loss of so many good friends (Queen Fee how we miss you, and mother Laspeera, Mreen, Laeral, Dove, Syluné, Amlaruil... etc) it still holds a spark of the wry whimsy that I used to feel characterised much of the Realms.

Erik and Erin's work is different. It grabs you and keeps you in the moment with new characters and personalities that I was immediately intrigued by (though you might not actually like them at first... Foxy and Farideh I am looking at you) almost in spite of where or when they are.

Today I began to wonder if it is not the need to pepper the lineup with this sense of freshness, the here-and-now, that might have lead to Wizards' rightful recognition of Erin's (obvious and formidable) talent to stop some us being bogged down in the here-and-then during the events of the (second) Sundering (Secundering?).

Jan 9, 2013 -- 1:44PM, dadocollin wrote:

They picked you based on the quality of your writing.  You're the rising star!  (No pressure...)

I believe I let out an audible "WOOOO!" when I first saw/heard your name as part of the Sundering.  If I remember correctly, this wasn't too long after we had finished the first book in the Book Club.  I very much agree with Dado's comment about how the first Brimstone Angels would have been a spectacular book to introduce someone into the 4th Edition Realms, and I'm really excited to see Farideh & Co. deal with the latest Realms-shaking event.

Let the reading begin!  


  

Yup, she loves this book!!

So a day of returned, repaired laptop (yay! but ZOMG a million things to transfer and reload and now it's demanding I restart it again. Calm down, little lady!) and broken appliances (gas fireplace then washer. Awesome) mean I have had no time to reply and no time to pack up for the writers retreat I'm heading to this weekend. So I will be back tomorrow evening when I'm settled, to answer ALL your questions (because we're nowhere near too many, Iluvrien )

But my short response looks a little like this:   Thank you all for the kind words.

Jan 9, 2013 -- 5:19PM, Iluvrien wrote:

 Erik and Erin's work is different. It grabs you and keeps you in the moment with new characters and personalities that I was immediately intrigued by (though you might not actually like them at first... Foxy and Farideh I am looking at you) almost in spite of where or when they are.

Not gonna lie (sorry Erin) But while I like Fari as a character much more then I did when I began reading, she is still not my favorite character...I sort-of see her as my unofficial road to more Havi every half a chapter. >.>;;

Yes!  Finally the Goldpiece baby photo!  I should let you know that my wife is pregnant with a baby girl due in June, so be prepared for another book-wielding baby.

Oh, and Havilar is totally my favorite too... 

Jan 10, 2013 -- 5:34AM, dadocollin wrote:

Yes!  Finally the Goldpiece baby photo!  I should let you know that my wife is pregnant with a baby girl due in June, so be prepared for another book-wielding baby.

Oh, and Havilar is totally my favorite too... 

Congrats on the baby Dado!  That's really exciting. 

I don't know if I can still call my little girl a "baby" though.  She tears around the house, has a mind of her own, and gets put in "time out" several times a day.  She'll be two next month and I'm beginning to understand the term "terrible twos." 

Just received my copy today. Really enjoyed the first Brimstone Angels and exited about the new one.

Jan 9, 2013 -- 11:58AM, Iluvrien wrote:

I also wondered about Tam and Brin and their... well, human-ness... especially in the face of that fact that the primary protagonists Farideh, Havilar, Mehen, Lorcan and so on are most certainly not! Species/Race always interests me in books. Especially in Speculative or Fantasy fiction where there is the added possibility of seeing, to (mis)quote Terry Pratchett, "Black and white ganging up on green"! Finishing Rich Baker's first to Last Mythal books underscores this for me. How many of Araevin's or Ilsevele's actions are explained in the narrative by simple phrases such as "as sun elves..." or "...because they were ar Tel'Quessir".

Similarly, when you are writing for Farideh et al. how aware of you of their species? For example, is Farideh a Tiefling character (in that her actions are always informed by her inherent nature)? Or is she a character (that acts as she does) that just happens to be a Tiefling? The same goes for Havi, Mehen, Lorcan and so on...

... too many questions yet?

BIG question (fun question!)

1. Brin ended up in Brimstone Angels specifically to be a human viewpoint. I felt pretty sure I could get you to identify with Farideh and Havilar and Mehen given the chance, but Brin provided a fallback viewpoint as well as a sympathetic way to show how most humans do see tieflings, and what they take for granted there.

2. I know not everyone agrees with me on this, but in general, I'm not a fan of the "racial personality" characterization, for characters that aren't monsters. I look at the vast array of human populations and see so much variation that I can't really swallow the notion that, for example, all tieflings are x because they're born that way. I do love considering cultural pressures and conflicting viewpoints though--like having a human think "oh that's because they're an elf' when you also know from that elf's perspective that, no, they're like that because their mom was really big on manners, or something. 

To that extent I think about how Farideh's appearance has affected her interactions throughout her life, and had a cumulative affect on her. I also think about how Mehen's culture and upbringing would have informed his child-rearing techniques (e.g. dragonborn clans are very big on filial piety,  think that would make Mehen really loathe to let his daughters go off on their own without really compelling reasons...at least so far). 

Lorcan and Sairche are slightly different. I still wouldn't call them "monsters" and so I don't feel okay about painting them with too broad a brush. But their half-sisters? Their mother? Monsters--I think it's reasonable to say that devils are evil and erinyes are violent and even if there's some nuance to the individuals, those things are just true down to their bones. 

Lorcan and Sairche though are only half devil, so I feel like they have that "monstrousness" but they don't always obey it. They're more complex and literally more human. And I think--partly because they have both been viewpoint characters--you can see that the realites of surviving in the hierarchy of the Nine Hells, the culture they've grown up and lived in, impacts their actions as much if not more than any genetic component.

I guess I find "nurture" way more interesting and fluid to write about than "nature."

Jan 9, 2013 -- 11:02AM, ZombieJoe wrote:

Looks like I can't wait for it on audiobook though.

Yes, the audiobook is being re-recorded.

Jan 9, 2013 -- 1:44PM, dadocollin wrote:

When they announced the Sundering, before they said the author's names during the big reveal, a friend and I were immediately speculating who the authors would be.  Salvatore and Greenwood were obvious inclusions.  Kemp and Byers are proven best sellers.  (I've been waiting for years for Paul Kemp's next Realms novel. He completely missed 4th edition!) Especially with the inclusion of Troy Denning, it really appeared they were going known quantities + old school, which made sense because a lot of D&D Next is focused on bringing back the flock. I don't want to start a debate about who should/shouldn't have been included, so I'm not going to name names about who I thought would be the sixth author, but I too was surprised to see Erin Evans in the lineup.

I say that not to humble you in any way, but the opposite.  It's a huge compliment to you that they chose to let you come to the table with these heavy hitters.  Even if someone makes the argument: "They were going to pick a female author for at least one of the books to avoid gender complaints," there were other more well known females connected to the Realms for much longer.   You are probably the envy of a large number of newer and older Realms authors.  I mean, this series is almost guranteed to be a string of hardcover best sellers (if War of the Spider Queen is any indication).  My guess is that Wizards sat down and tried to think of who would write the best six books, and after the obvious inclusions that will sell on name recognition alone, your name rose to the top.  You should almost feel even better in a way because Mr. Salvatore & company (and don't get me wrong, I love Bob's books) were picked in some part because their names alone sell copies.  There are people I know who read Salvatore, for example, and don't read anything else from Wizards or even care about D&D.  They picked you based on the quality of your writing.  You're the rising star!  (No pressure...)

Jan 9, 2013 -- 5:19PM, Iluvrien wrote:

I had come to a similar conclusion and so I was thinking about what it might be in Erin's writing that stands out, for me at least.

To be honest I think it is the freshness of the characterization. So far only three authors have managed to haul me across the time-jump into the stark realities of the 4E Realms: Ed Greenwood (well...duh), Erin and Erik Scott de Bie (Depths of Madness and Downshadow were both superb).

I read Ed's work because while it is replete with the loss of so many good friends (Queen Fee how we miss you, and mother Laspeera, Mreen, Laeral, Dove, Syluné, Amlaruil... etc) it still holds a spark of the wry whimsy that I used to feel characterised much of the Realms.

Erik and Erin's work is different. It grabs you and keeps you in the moment with new characters and personalities that I was immediately intrigued by (though you might not actually like them at first... Foxy and Farideh I am looking at you) almost in spite of where or when they are.

Today I began to wonder if it is not the need to pepper the lineup with this sense of freshness, the here-and-now, that might have lead to Wizards' rightful recognition of Erin's (obvious and formidable) talent to stop some us being bogged down in the here-and-then during the events of the (second) Sundering (Secundering?).

Jan 9, 2013 -- 5:40PM, Gemini_Maxwell wrote:

I believe I let out an audible "WOOOO!" when I first saw/heard your name as part of the Sundering.  If I remember correctly, this wasn't too long after we had finished the first book in the Book Club.  I very much agree with Dado's comment about how the first Brimstone Angels would have been a spectacular book to introduce someone into the 4th Edition Realms, and I'm really excited to see Farideh & Co. deal with the latest Realms-shaking event.

Thanks, you guys. It is really an honor--when they asked me I had to reread the email a few times to be sure I was really getting it. 

I have to say I was really nervous about the reveal. I'm by far the newest author, the only woman, and also the only one who's only written for 4E FR. I was pretty ready for some disappointed fans to say some "internet-only" kind of things. But I really haven't heard any of that. So while it's the source of my most humbling experience, it's also the one that said "okay, you really are a Realms author now."

 

Jan 9, 2013 -- 5:19PM, Iluvrien wrote:

Erik and Erin's work is different. It grabs you and keeps you in the moment with new characters and personalities that I was immediately intrigued by (though you might not actually like them at first... Foxy and Farideh I am looking at you) almost in spite of where or when they are.

Jan 9, 2013 -- 10:58PM, lordsknight1585 wrote:

Not gonna lie (sorry Erin) But while I like Fari as a character much more then I did when I began reading, she is still not my favorite character...I sort-of see her as my unofficial road to more Havi every half a chapter. >.>;;

Okay, I'm super curious: What is it you didn't like about Farideh at first?

> Lorcan and Sairche are slightly different. I still wouldn't call them "monsters"
Interesting.

I would definitely call Sairche a "Monster"--with a capital M AND scare quotes and everything! I mean she is evil, nightmare stuff in every single way...

And I would likely call Lorcan a monster as well. Not just in the Hannibal Lector way, but in the literature way. He has helped the good guys, but only to advance his own schemes.

I think you are thinking more in terms of crunch game mechanics--NPC's have personality and Monsters are for killing, type thing...One thing I love about reading D&D Novels is that they provide great ways to challange this thinking at the game table.

For example, erinyes are no longer simple dice rolling challanges but they have well informed witty banter. One of the primary reasons I am in this book club is to steal that kind of stuff...the oppurtunity to stock piling backstories, setting details, and personalities that I can spring on my players is fantastic & if the players have read the book we have a meaningful shared experience...gaming gold.

In any event, back to the topic of monsters and literature--if I were to list ten monsters for literature I would have:

1. Arioch
2. Alzabo
3. Frankenstein
4. Kalessin
5. Balrog
6. Jabberwock
7. Dracula
8. Kraken
9. It
10. Cthulhu

Jan 11, 2013 -- 9:53AM, davidgiven wrote:

I think you are thinking more in terms of crunch game mechanics--NPC's have personality and Monsters are for killing, type thing...One thing I love about reading D&D Novels is that they provide great ways to challange this thinking at the game table.

Yes, this is what I mean! More like an animal than like a human--I can get behind the assumption that erinyes act the way they do because it is inborn, instinctive, and nothing they could really escape. But I can't get behind that for people who are more on the "player character" end of the spectrum.

> Lorcan and Sairche are slightly different. I still wouldn't call them "monsters"
Interesting.

I would definitely call Sairche a "Monster"--with a capital M AND scare quotes and everything! I mean she is evil, nightmare stuff in every single way...

And I would likely call Lorcan a monster as well. Not just in the Hannibal Lector way, but in the literature way. He has helped the good guys, but only to advance his own schemes.

Interesting...

I definitely won't argue with you that Invadiah's cambion children are selfish and not to be easily trusted. But I think the "monster" label to me implies someone you can't and don't want to understand or identify with. ANd that's what works and is scary about monsters, they are like forces of nature. 

Remind me, david, were you the one campaigning for more unequivocable, black-hearted villains last book club?

One thing I love about reading D&D Novels is that they provide great ways to challange this thinking at the game table.

For example, erinyes are no longer simple dice rolling challanges but they have well informed witty banter. One of the primary reasons I am in this book club is to steal that kind of stuff...the oppurtunity to stock piling backstories, setting details, and personalities that I can spring on my players is fantastic & if the players have read the book we have a meaningful shared experience...gaming gold.

In any event, back to the topic of monsters and literature--if I were to list ten monsters for literature I would have:

1. Arioch
2. Alzabo
3. Frankenstein
4. Kalessin
5. Balrog
6. Jabberwock
7. Dracula
8. Kraken
9. It
10. Cthulhu

Good list! And it points out another nice element--they're heavily symbolic. They embody something greater than themselves--the unknown, the uncontrollable, death, instinct. 

I don't want to jump the gun, but there is a villain in Lesser Evils, I think falls into this category quite neatly. 

Jan 11, 2013 -- 9:33AM, ErinMEvans wrote:

 

Jan 9, 2013 -- 10:58PM, lordsknight1585 wrote:

Not gonna lie (sorry Erin) But while I like Fari as a character much more then I did when I began reading, she is still not my favorite character...I sort-of see her as my unofficial road to more Havi every half a chapter. >.>;;

Okay, I'm super curious: What is it you didn't like about Farideh at first?

Oh dear. Ok, its not that I "didn't like" Farideh, its just that at first she did not seem to be a very strong character...Im not explaining this well at all. I guess the best way for me to explain it is that I did not feel she was strong enough to do things on her own. Like the pact for example, I now cannot see a better way for you to have done it, but in the beginning it had this damsel-in-distress vibe I see too much in fantasy, being that she was the lonely clumsy girl who swooned for a big strong fox. BUT that was just at FIRST. I mean half-way through she got seperated and she was literally all alone without Havi or Mehen to fall back on and I gained a lot more respect for her character at that point, and I do really like her alot now. (Just not as much as Havi )

Jan 11, 2013 -- 3:26PM, lordsknight1585 wrote:

Jan 11, 2013 -- 9:33AM, ErinMEvans wrote:

 

Jan 9, 2013 -- 10:58PM, lordsknight1585 wrote:

Not gonna lie (sorry Erin) But while I like Fari as a character much more then I did when I began reading, she is still not my favorite character...I sort-of see her as my unofficial road to more Havi every half a chapter. >.>;;

Okay, I'm super curious: What is it you didn't like about Farideh at first?

Oh dear. Ok, its not that I "didn't like" Farideh, its just that at first she did not seem to be a very strong character...Im not explaining this well at all. I guess the best way for me to explain it is that I did not feel she was strong enough to do things on her own. Like the pact for example, I now cannot see a better way for you to have done it, but in the beginning it had this damsel-in-distress vibe I see too much in fantasy, being that she was the lonely clumsy girl who swooned for a big strong fox. BUT that was just at FIRST. I mean half-way through she got seperated and she was literally all alone without Havi or Mehen to fall back on and I gained a lot more respect for her character at that point, and I do really like her alot now. (Just not as much as Havi )

No worries! I figured you both liked her now. But I'm always interested in how that engagement process happens.  

I agree! But now im impatient for Iluvrien to respond because im curious if he had the same reasoning as mine, or if he was thinking something compeltely different.

My apologies for being slow about replying, I returned from work last night too wiped out to offer anything remotely resembling a complete answer to your statements and questions, and I didn't want to insult you all by not taking the time to do so!

Jan 11, 2013 -- 9:21AM, ErinMEvans wrote:

1. Brin ended up in Brimstone Angels specifically to be a human viewpoint. I felt pretty sure I could get you to identify with Farideh and Havilar and Mehen given the chance, but Brin provided a fallback viewpoint as well as a sympathetic way to show how most humans do see tieflings, and what they take for granted there.

I had wondered if this might be the case, not that Brin felt afterthough-ish or similar, but he was very Human about his humanity. His responses were sympathetic and about what I would have expected given his background (and his lack of success so far in escaping it). I did occasionally feel like clouting him around the ear and telling him to get himself together . My issue was never identifying with the non-human characters though, I had far less of a problem with that than understanding the people I meet every day who often bewilder me.

Jan 11, 2013 -- 9:21AM, ErinMEvans wrote:

2. I know not everyone agrees with me on this, but in general, I'm not a fan of the "racial personality" characterization, for characters that aren't monsters.... I guess I find "nurture" way more interesting and fluid to write about than "nature."

And although I doubt everyone will agree with me either, I agree with this viewpoint. Not least because, narratively, it makes this a lot more interesting. When you know what to expect from a character because of their racial/species profile then it feels a bit, to me, like having already read the last page of a book. It recalls a comment of Tolkien's about Hobbits (if you can reference Michaelangelo, Erin, then I am going to reference Tolkien):

"you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him."

Tolkien's tales emerged from breaking with that idea. Farideh, Havi, Mehen and Lorcan work for me because you break that idea... some Realms authors don't. Give me nuture over nature any day!

Jan 11, 2013 -- 9:33AM, ErinMEvans wrote:

Okay, I'm super curious: What is it you didn't like about Farideh at first?

Jan 11, 2013 -- 3:43PM, lordsknight1585 wrote:

I agree! But now im impatient for Iluvrien to respond because im curious if he had the same reasoning as mine, or if he was thinking something compeltely different.

In a way my reasons are similar, if a little different. It is a strength of Erin's writing that I had actually folded Farideh's swooniness, indecision and blundering into her character as aspects of her youth. So the reasons I didn't originally take to her were that I recognized in her the ability of the young to make a monumental hash of things. Even as I almost shouted at my kindle that she shouldn't get taken in by the slimy hellspawn (at Christmas, surrounded by family... that got me a few interesting looks) it wasn't a source of disbelief for me in the narrative.

As she started to get her head on straight then I was able to start thinking of her less as child that had caused everyone a lot of hassle, and more as a personality trying her best to make recompense for her actions in the only way she could. By pushing on through.

...if any of that makes sense. I am still a bit woozy.

Jan 12, 2013 -- 8:23AM, Iluvrien wrote:

My apologies for being slow about replying, I returned from work last night too wiped out to offer anything remotely resembling a complete answer to your statements and questions, and I didn't want to insult you all by not taking the time to do so!

No worries! 

 My issue was never identifying with the non-human characters though, I had far less of a problem with that than understanding the people I meet every day who often bewilder me.

Jan 12, 2013 -- 8:23AM, Iluvrien wrote:

Jan 11, 2013 -- 9:21AM, ErinMEvans wrote:

2. I know not everyone agrees with me on this, but in general, I'm not a fan of the "racial personality" characterization, for characters that aren't monsters.... I guess I find "nurture" way more interesting and fluid to write about than "nature."

And although I doubt everyone will agree with me either, I agree with this viewpoint. Not least because, narratively, it makes this a lot more interesting. When you know what to expect from a character because of their racial/species profile then it feels a bit, to me, like having already read the last page of a book. It recalls a comment of Tolkien's about Hobbits (if you can reference Michaelangelo, Erin, then I am going to reference Tolkien):

"you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him."

Tolkien's tales emerged from breaking with that idea. Farideh, Havi, Mehen and Lorcan work for me because you break that idea... some Realms authors don't. Give me nuture over nature any day!

Jan 11, 2013 -- 9:33AM, ErinMEvans wrote:

Okay, I'm super curious: What is it you didn't like about Farideh at first?

Jan 11, 2013 -- 3:43PM, lordsknight1585 wrote:

I agree! But now im impatient for Iluvrien to respond because im curious if he had the same reasoning as mine, or if he was thinking something compeltely different.

In a way my reasons are similar, if a little different. It is a strength of Erin's writing that I had actually folded Farideh's swooniness, indecision and blundering into her character as aspects of her youth. So the reasons I didn't originally take to her were that I recognized in her the ability of the young to make a monumental hash of things. Even as I almost shouted at my kindle that she shouldn't get taken in by the slimy hellspawn (at Christmas, surrounded by family... that got me a few interesting looks) it wasn't a source of disbelief for me in the narrative.

As she started to get her head on straight then I was able to start thinking of her less as child that had caused everyone a lot of hassle, and more as a personality trying her best to make recompense for her actions in the only way she could. By pushing on through.

...if any of that makes sense. I am still a bit woozy.

Makes perfect sense, and your responses actually clear up for me the reasoning behind this category of reaction. And I like it. 

So I've found people (who like the book, don't respond "but tieflings should be wicked") fall into two basic groups: those who would have done the exact same thing as Farideh and those who think it was an incredibly stupid thing to do.  

The first group sees Lorcan and the pact as the lesser evil--in Arush Vayem, Farideh's life is already charted and while it's not particularly dangerous, it's incredibly bleak. She won't find work she's passionate about. She won't marry. She'll basically be judged and pushed around by the other villagers until she breaks. So for a lot of readers they're making the deal before she does--whatever happens, it has to be better than Arush Vayem. This was my viewpoint, writing it.

The second group, I think, includes you guys (correct me if I'm wrong here). But previously, I didn't really get it, I think because it focused on Farideh's stupidity, and I don't think she's stupid. Yes, a cambion is bad news, but it's not like she has a copy of the Monster Manual on hand. And for all the focus on Lorcan's attractiveness, that's not what snares her. It's that he's offering her the one thing she'd give anything to get: safety and control.

But it's not an unfamiliar pattern and we can look at it and know, that way lies heartache for everyone. It's less stupidity and more the folly of youth that Farideh cannot see that pattern staring her in the face, and we want so bad to take her aside and say, "Sweetie, no. There are other options. Trust me." But we can't and she doesn't listen and we have to watch her muddle through needlessly, and it must be like watching that friend or relation make all the wrong decisions and you just have to sit and watch them be idiots, because we have to make our own mistakes.

Which I like better than "It was stupid" because that  is a very relateable reaction.

Hmm, not sure I phrased my answer well but yes, that is generally what I was getting at.

Perhaps it would be better so say that although I regard it as a mistake, I am not sure that I would regard it as a stupid mistake. I would also look more kindly upon her choice if it hadn't been obvious that there would be profound repercussions on the others, i.e. I would be happier about her choice if she was only making it for herself.

If she was on her own and stuck in Arush Vayem then I would endorse the Lesser Evils aspect without reservation. Not the wisest choice of actions (and I would probably still wish I could sit her down with the "Sweetie, no..." line) but I doubt that it would spark the same degree of "What did you just do?!". I also wouldn't have blamed her for quietly bludgeoning Criella with the book as she made her way home, by the way.

However, although Lorcan pitches the pact in terms of the protection she could provide, of Havi or the village or of any of the similarly downtrodden, I was not sure at first that Fari's primary motivation wasn't to escape her own life. The charted course you mention. A flash of selfishness that saw herself at the heart of a whirlwind of power, finally free.

I had thought at the time (and I just checked) that we don't get to see her exact thoughts at that moment so it was only later, seeing how she dealt with the results of the choice and her resolve to remain with and protect the others that I made up my mind about her initial decision.

The long and short of it being that I don't think she is stupid, or that the decision reflected stupidity (not as such) but at first I thought it may have been selfish (though I later decided against it) and still maintain that it wasn't a particularly well informed one (not that I could blame a 17 year old with a comparatively sheltered upbringing for that).

Maybe that explains things a bit more clearly? (I had a nap and it helped my thought processes clear a little )

As an aside, when you are doing a book signing tour in the UK?!

Jan 12, 2013 -- 1:43PM, Iluvrien wrote:

Maybe that explains things a bit more clearly? (I had a nap and it helped my thought processes clear a little )

That sounds pretty much like what I thought you were saying. Which means it was probably me who needed the nap. :p It's only other folks that have held up her choice as being stupid in their minds, but reading you two's reaction and thinking about those other responses in that context has made me see that what you're saying is probably what they meant. Probably. 

As an aside, when you are doing a book signing tour in the UK?!

The second someone helps pay for it! lol

Jan 12, 2013 -- 7:52PM, ErinMEvans wrote:

The second someone helps pay for it! lol

Pffft, these authors and their entirely reasonable, practical and down-to-earth approaches to travel .

One final question here, before we move on to the rest of the book tomorrow:

I am sure someone has asked this before, and if so I apologise, but did you have Lesser Evils in mind, as a publishing reality, while writing Angels? If so, then do you have another in mind having produced Evils?

Jan 13, 2013 -- 8:34AM, Iluvrien wrote:

Jan 12, 2013 -- 7:52PM, ErinMEvans wrote:

The second someone helps pay for it! lol

Pffft, these authors and their entirely reasonable, practical and down-to-earth approaches to travel .

One final question here, before we move on to the rest of the book tomorrow:

I am sure someone has asked this before, and if so I apologise, but did you have Lesser Evils in mind, as a publishing reality, while writing Angels? If so, then do you have another in mind having produced Evils?

<.<; Its called "The Adversary"

Jan 13, 2013 -- 8:34AM, Iluvrien wrote:

Jan 12, 2013 -- 7:52PM, ErinMEvans wrote:

The second someone helps pay for it! lol

Pffft, these authors and their entirely reasonable, practical and down-to-earth approaches to travel .

One final question here, before we move on to the rest of the book tomorrow:

I am sure someone has asked this before, and if so I apologise, but did you have Lesser Evils in mind, as a publishing reality, while writing Angels? If so, then do you have another in mind having produced Evils?

I mentioned above that this was not the sequel I had in mind, but I was contracted for it and a third book, while I was writing Brimstone Angels. That third book became the third Sundering book, The Adversary--as LDK mentioned--which is the sequel to Lesser Evils, albeit once more not the sequel I had in mind. After that, I have been contracted for afurther three novels, which are presumed to be Brimstone Angels novels.  Although I never count my chickens before their hatched, so if you want them to be Brimstone Angels novels, I highly suggest you talk the books up to your friends and neighbors.


Actually, I think it will be fun pointing out where the story was changed by adding Lesser Evils into the timeline before taking the characters to Cormyr! There were several places where what I had planned ended up paling beside what I ended up doing.

Jan 13, 2013 -- 3:09PM, lordsknight1585 wrote:

<.<; its called "the Adversary"

The difference being that I was talking about the next story about Farideh and Havi. Erin's next book and the next Angels story are, as she has been so kind as to tell us, not necessarily the same thing. Especially, I think, since my question was aimed at what she had in mind while writing. Rather than what was on the release schedule.

Jan 13, 2013 -- 9:02PM, ErinMEvans wrote:

Actually, I think it will be fun pointing out where the story was changed by adding Lesser Evils into the timeline before taking the characters to Cormyr! There were several places where what I had planned ended up paling beside what I ended up doing.

Thank you. That certainly answers my question neatly enough. I suppose I was asking whether you had an "on going adventures of Fari, Havi, Mehen..etc" in mind while writing, even if each point along your originally planned path wasn't exactly what you ended up doing. Nice to know that they have a few more scrapes to get into yet!... even if they aren't the scrapes you are currently planning .

I will certainly be recommending Angels to anyone likely to read it.

I misunderstood the meaning you meant good sir. I'm sorry T.T

Just a quick note to let everyone know I'll have the first section discussion thread up later today.  In all my excitement I forgot to bring my book to work!

Jan 14, 2013 -- 1:31AM, lordsknight1585 wrote:

I misunderstood the meaning you meant good sir. I'm sorry
T.T

 Not at all. I should have been clearer. The fault is entirely mine.

Jan 14, 2013 -- 5:39AM, dadocollin wrote:

Just a quick note to let everyone know I'll have the first section discussion thread up later today.  In all my excitement I forgot to bring my book to work!

Looking forward to it! (still reading over the material just so it is fresh in my mind for the coming discussions)

I remembered to bring the book to work today to read on my lunch break. I am ready to get this party started. 

Jan 13, 2013 -- 10:54PM, Iluvrien wrote:

Thank you. That certainly answers my question neatly enough. I suppose I was asking whether you had an "on going adventures of Fari, Havi, Mehen..etc" in mind while writing, even if each point along your originally planned path wasn't exactly what you ended up doing. Nice to know that they have a few more scrapes to get into yet!... even if they aren't the scrapes you are currently planning . 

There are points in the story that are sort of non-negotiable. Whatever happens in the setting that forces the story to change, some things have to happen. For example: Lorcan starts this book trapped in the Hells. This is too big of a conflict to have set aside or ignored or undone. 

Other points still have to be addressed, but the way in which they were addressed has been shifted or delayed. 

And still others can wait. For instance, I had expected to get into Mehen's backstory in this book. But there wasn't space for it in Lesser Evils. So I intended to put it in the next book--but I'll warn you, that's not what The Adversary is "about" because Mehen has bigger things to worry about. But I promise, his past will come back to haunt him eventually. 
 

I will certainly be recommending Angels to anyone likely to read it.

Here is me tooting my own horn: That group, in my experience, is larger than you expect. Obviously, if someone doesn't like to read at all...well, good luck. But I have managed to hook quite a few non-Realms readers--more than a few of whom who have gone on to read and enjoy more Realms titles--and non-fantasy readers. My mother-in-law generally reads mysteries and police procedurals and while her dream novel from me would be Tennora and Sovann the thief from The God Catcher fight sexy crime, she's genuinely hooked on Brimstone ANgels (and several other Waterdeep titles too)

Jan 14, 2013 -- 7:12AM, Mordrim wrote:

I remembered to bring the book to work today to read on my lunch break. I am ready to get this party started. 

Me too! 

Jan 14, 2013 -- 9:50AM, ErinMEvans wrote:

Jan 13, 2013 -- 10:54PM, Iluvrien wrote:

Thank you. That certainly answers my question neatly enough. I suppose I was asking whether you had an "on going adventures of Fari, Havi, Mehen..etc" in mind while writing, even if each point along your originally planned path wasn't exactly what you ended up doing. Nice to know that they have a few more scrapes to get into yet!... even if they aren't the scrapes you are currently planning . 

There are points in the story that are sort of non-negotiable. Whatever happens in the setting that forces the story to change, some things have to happen. For example: Lorcan starts this book trapped in the Hells. This is too big of a conflict to have set aside or ignored or undone. 

Other points still have to be addressed, but the way in which they were addressed has been shifted or delayed. 

And still others can wait. For instance, I had expected to get into Mehen's backstory in this book. But there wasn't space for it in Lesser Evils. So I intended to put it in the next book--but I'll warn you, that's not what The Adversary is "about" because Mehen has bigger things to worry about. But I promise, his past will come back to haunt him eventually. 
 

I will certainly be recommending Angels to anyone likely to read it.

Here is me tooting my own horn: That group, in my experience, is larger than you expect. Obviously, if someone doesn't like to read at all...well, good luck. But I have managed to hook quite a few non-Realms readers--more than a few of whom who have gone on to read and enjoy more Realms titles--and non-fantasy readers. My mother-in-law generally reads mysteries and police procedurals and while her dream novel from me would be Tennora and Sovann the thief from The God Catcher fight sexy crime, she's genuinely hooked on Brimstone ANgels (and several other Waterdeep titles too)

<.<; You know, while i imagine M'hens backstory to be grand, maybe you dont have to do a novel but a series of short stories instead? We could always use more origin short stories!

Jan 14, 2013 -- 5:46PM, lordsknight1585 wrote:

you know, while i imagine M'hens backstory to be grand, maybe you dont have to do a novel but a series of short stories instead? We could always use more origin short stories!

I'm not really interested in writing origin stories for most of these character--when I have to assume that the bulk of readers know the ending, it's not as fun for me to write, you know?

In Mehen's case, you already know how it ends--he makes a choice to be with the one he loves and gets disowned and exiled for it, adopts the twins. While the details of that would be new, sure, I don't feel like the story itself would be best used on its own. I'm much more interested in writing about who Mehen is now and how he deals with his life as it is--which includes how exile has and continues to impact him.

And I think there's a very good chance, especially with what the Sundering brings, that Clan Verthisathurgiesh isn't as done with him as Mehen thinks. 

EDIT: fixed a typo and some formatting nonsense. 

Whoops - late to the party, but glad to be here all the same! Brimstone Angels was a particular favourite of mine and Erin did a marvellous job answering the Book Club questions and enriching the experience, so I'm looking forward to reading Lesser Evils and joining in here. I'm particularly pleased to have been able to purchase it for Kindle in the UK, and I picked up a couple more Wizards ebooks whilst I was browsing - it's great to have easy access to the ebook catalogue now.

Jan 18, 2013 -- 5:30PM, tsukimasu wrote:

Whoops - late to the party, but glad to be here all the same! Brimstone Angels was a particular favourite of mine and Erin did a marvellous job answering the Book Club questions and enriching the experience, so I'm looking forward to reading Lesser Evils and joining in here. I'm particularly pleased to have been able to purchase it for Kindle in the UK, and I picked up a couple more Wizards ebooks whilst I was browsing - it's great to have easy access to the ebook catalogue now.

Ha! Someone was asking me today about what the makeup of the book club was--new people, same people, mix? And I said it was a good mix...but believe it or not I thought "Huh. I haven't seen Tsukimasu. " 

Now here you are! 

Hey readers! I'm giving away three Neverwinter Beta Keys on my facebook page. All you have to do is answer one of three trivia questions about Brimstone Angels! The questions go up at 9, 11, and 1. Get ready!

EDIT: All done! Thanks for playing!